Frost
by MiazukiNoYoru
Summary: This humanstuck story follows seven main characters: Dirk Strider, Kanaya Maryam, Gamzee Makara, Jake English, Rose Lalonde, Tavros Nitram, and Jane Crocker. Rated M for language and later sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

==Dirk's POV==

Plop.

The box labeled in sloppy letters as 'Kitchen" was dropped onto the floor, alongside the others of its kind. I stretched my back for a moment, relishing in the lack of anything heavy in my arms.

I looked around the dwelling that my brother and I had just moved into. It was nothing special, really. Just a small, sparsely furnished house with a tiny livingroom, cramped kitchen, bathroom, diningroom, and an upstairs that barely held the two bedrooms. We'd have to decide on those soon.

At that moment, my fifteen-year-old brother, Dave strode in hoisting the last box in his arms. "Hey, Bro, what all are we unpacking tonight?" He asked, depositing the box onto the heap of others.

I looked at the clock, which read eleven forty-three. We had arrived there behind shcedule. "Uh...I guess just what you need for tonight and in the morning. We've got to get to school tomorrow." He nodded in response and shuffled some boxes around before pulling out one labeled "Dave's Room." He headed up the stairs while I grabbed my own box.

Tomorrow was Dave's first day at the new school as a Sophmore, and mine as a Senior. Even though I was only eighteen at the time, I was Dave's legal guardian. Our parents had been gone since I was eight, and we'd been staying with our grandfather for the past few years. Unfortunately, he'd recently passed away, and since I was eighteen now, with no other relatives that were older than me, I was the only one left to watch over him. So, I moved us out to Washington, all the way from Texas, as a way of escaping everything, and hopefully to move on with our lives to the best of our ability. Sure, it was difficult to leave behind, but our past would do nothing but drag us down there. So what choice did we really have? Besides, I'd only really had Callie, Calib, and Roxy, -who technically didn't count as a friend, considering she was my cousin- and I'd only ever seen Dave bring home Rose -Also our cousin- and Jade. And we could easily keep in touch with them online. Maybe this would be our chance to branch out and make new friends. At least, I hoped so.

I hopped up the stairs with my box and headed into the room that Dave hadn't claimed. It took less than an hour to get my things unpacked and head back downstairs. I assumed Dave was already asleep by now, and my suspicions were confirmed when he didn't come down to help me unpack the kitchen supplies.

In all honesty, we'd probably just grab some McDonalds for breakfast in the morning, since neither of us were exactly gormet chefs, -and that was putting it nicely- but maybe I just needed something to do to make myself tired. I was jittery from the exitement of the move, and I needed to get some sleep so I didn't fall asleep in my classes, so I guess working was my best bet.

And sure enough, the task wore me out more quickly than I's thought it would, showing just how bone tired I really was from the move and the emotions from everything. And soon I found myself cutting off the lights and heading upstairs.

I stripped myself out of my shirt, pants, socks, and shades, and slipped under the covers in my boxers. I set the shades on the bedside table and shut off the lamp, falling asleep shortly after.

* * *

Sharp, obnoxious beeping from my alarm clock tore me from my rest the following morning. I sat up groggily and smacked the button in irritation, -mornings weren't exactly my thing- squeezing my eyes shut against the harsh light flowing in through the curtainless window. I mentally reminded myself to put that up later.

I retireved my shades from the end table and slid them on before swinging my door open and trotting down the stairs to find Dave already in the kitchen, eating creal at the counter. "We have a dining room, you know." I said. He looked up at me and scowled.

"Bro. We're supposed to be starting over in this place, right?"

I gave him a perplexed expression. "Yeah, little man, of course. Why are ya' asking?"

He frowned further. "Well, can't we start over with pants? Or a shirt?"

I almost burst out laughing, but stopped myself. "Dave. Why should I be required to wear pants in my own house?"

He went silent after that. I laughed inwardly and grabbed some things for a shower along with some clothes from my room. My shower was quick, and soon I was throwing my clothes on and cleaning the fog off the mirror to fix my hair into its usual spiked fashion.

Once I was satisfied with my appearance, I walked out to the door, slipped my coat and shoes on, shoved my hat on my head and grabbed my bag and car keys.

"Dave! You ready to go, little man? I've still got to get some food." I called up to him.

"Yeah!" He yelled back, skipping down the stairs moments later with his bag slung over his shoulder. We headed out the door, cold winter air nipping at us, and slid into my truck.

I started it up and fastened my safety belt, checking to make sure Dave had done the same, and pulled out of the driveway.

It was about a ten minute drive to McDonalds -where I got a McMuffin- and another five to get to the high school.

I finished my food as I pulled into a parking space. Dave hopped out as I cut off the ignition. "See ya, Bro." He said, closing the door and taking without waiting for a response.

I sighed, muttering a soft "later," and slid out of the truck, locking it behind me as I walked toward the school.

After signing the final forms -I had enrolled us over the phone- in person, I grabbed my schedule and maneuvered skillfully through the flocks of students to my homeroom class. I would only be in that class for about ten minutes.

And what a long ten minutes it was. Of course, I wasn't suprised by the staring and the whispering. Obviously people would stare. I was a new kid with pointy, anime shades, not to mention the fact that I was as pale as a ghost. But what did suprise me was that someone decided to talk to me.

"Oh, don't mind them. They're just staring 'cause you're new, is all." A stout, slightly rounded girl with glasses and bucked teeth smiled at me. I nodded in response, not exactly sure what else to say.

"So what's your name?" She pressed, resting her cheek in her hand, head tilted to the side in curiousity.

"Dirk Strider." I replied.

She smiled warmly. "Jane Crocker. Nice to meet you, Dirk." I nodded again, deciding mentally to be less antisocial. I wanted to make more friends, after all. Besides, she seemed nice enough.

"Nice to meet you, too."

* * *

Our school had an A-Day-B-Day schedule, and since today was an A day, my first class was Government with Mr. Radford.

I ghosted through the halls quickly, reaching the class within two minutes, and leaving myself about three to grab a seat. I stopped myself from immediately claiming a seat in the back of the class. I wouldn't become an outcast again. That's not was this move was about. So I slid into a desk to the side of the room, taking my hat off and slipping it into my bag.

Slowly, more students filtered into the room, filling empty seats and shooting glances at me. A few girls even giggled.

When the bell rang, Mr. Radford began roll-call. Eventually, he reached my name, calling it out and glancing up at me with a frown. "Strider, please remove your sunglasses while in class." There was a small murmur of giggles through the class. I only grimaced back at the middle-aged man. "I can't."

His expression melted into one of slight annoyance. "And why is that, Strider?" More giggle from the class. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, far from happy about this conversation taking place in a class full of people. My eyes were not a topic to be brought up.

"It's for medical reasons." I explained, hoping the teacher would drop the issue. But of course he didn't.

"Such as?"

I sighed. "No disrespect intended or anything, but you should have recieved an email about this."

He paused for a moment before going to his computer, presumably checking his email. His eyes scanned the screen for a few moments before he stood up staraight, blinking at me. "Right...sorry, my mistake. I should have checked my email during homeroom."

The room rippled with whispers and murmurs, and nearly everyone spared at least one glance at me. But soon, the teacher settled them down and class began. I frowned to myself, shifting akwardly in my seat. I just hoped there would be no more scenes like this for the remainder of the school day.

* * *

Fortunately, there weren't, much to my relief. The rest of the school day flew by relatively eventless. At the end of the day, I stepped out into the icey outside world, snow dancing lazily down from the sky, and quickened my pace when I spotted Dave already at the truck.

I unlocked it as I walked, and by the time I reached the vehicle, Dave was already seated and buckled in. He looked over at me as I opened the door. "Hurry up and turn the heater on, Bro. It's freezing."

I slid into the seat and thumped him on the back of the head, getting an "Ow! What was that for?" in response.

"Hush your whiney little ass up and be patient." I retorted, pulling the door shut and turning the key in the ignition. "It's only fifteen minutes." He only mumbled as I clicked my safety belt into place and switched the heat on, putting it on the lowest setting until it warmed up. I gave him a look. "Happy?"

"I will be when it warms up."

I rolled my eyes, its effect lost behind the shades, and pulled out of the parking space. He was such a stubborn little fuck, but I loved him so much, no matter how much he irritated me. Which was quite a lot.

As soon as we pulled into the driveway -the snow coming down harder now- and entered the house, we began unpacking. It took us a few hours to finish, and by that time it was nine fifteen. We decided to reward ourselves by going out for fast food. Snow was in sheets now as we made our way to Burger King, making the decision to just eat inside. No need to head out into the snow again just yet.

After waiting in line for a few minutes in a short line, I paid for our food and we located a booth. I had just settled down and tore into a glorious burger, when a familiar voice interupted me.

"Oh, Dirk!" Jane Crocker beamed, skipping merrily towards us, and I waved at her. "Hey. Jane, right?" I offered, hoping I had pinned the right name with her face. I was fairly certain that was the correct name.

"Why, yes. That's right." She confirmed, and shifted her cheerful gaze to Dave. "And who is this? Is he your brother? Why, he looks like he could be your twin." I shook my head. "No, we're not twins. He's just my younger brother." I glanced at him. He looked uncomfortable, of course, no one but me would ever be able to tell but me. I was the only one who picked up on his slight grimace, the tiny tapping of his shoe under the table, the way he went silent whereas with friends he never shut up. But this was how he always was with new people. He had a tendency to immediately shy away from any reaching hand. And he wasn't the only one. I had the same problem. New friends were not my forte. But this was a new beginning for both of us, and isolation was absolutely unacceptable. So I made a tiny gesture with my head, signaling for him to introduce himself. He gave me a small nod to show he understood, and moved his gaze to Jane. "Dave Strider. Nice to meet you."

Jane smiled warmly. "Jane Crocker. Pleasure to meet you, too, Dave." She then turned back to me. "Hey, wanna eat together? I'm here with a friend of mine and I saw you. So I figured, hey, more the merrier, right?" I nodded. "Yeah, sure. Move on over."

"Great!" She exclaimed happily, bouncing off and returning shortly with a young boy carrying a tray of food in one hand. The boy looked to be somewhere around my age with messy, raven black hair and deep, enchanting green eyes that stole my breath the moment my own eyes found them. He adjusted his glasses with the hand that wasn't carrying the tray and looked at us. Jane took this opportunity to introduce him to us. "This is my friend, Jake English. Jake, this is Dave and Dirk Strider." She motioned to each of us in turn.

Jake smiled friendily. "Well, It's a pleasure to meet you both." I swear my heart skipped a beat when I heard his voice. It was a smooth, buttery voice with a British accent and God did it suit him. I wanted to hear more of it. "Why don't you two sit down?" I asked, scooting over towards the wall to make room for them. "Thank you." Jake grinned, sliding into the seat next to me, Jane across from him. Now that I really looked at him, he had a faint familiarity about him. I racked my brain for where I might have seen him, before I realized that he probably went to my school. He might have even been in a few of my classes today, but I didn't pay much attention.

"So Dave, Dirk, what do you think of the school so far?" Jake inquired, nibbling on a french fry, and we both turned to look at him. Dave responded first, to my suprise. "It's pretty cool. The people there are relatively nice, at least." Jake nodded and smiled. "Yes, most of the people at our school are quite friendly. Though there are a few bullies, I regret to say." Jane gave him a sympathetic expression that made me wonder if Jake was being bullied. Even though I had just met the guy, just the thought made me frown.

I took a bite of my burger as Jake shifted his head to look at me. "What about you, Dirk? How do you like the school?" I swallowed the mouthful of food and responded aftr a moment. "It's nice. Bigger than our last school. I almost got lost earlier."

Jake chuckled and sipped from his straw. "Don't worry, Dirk. You'll grow accustomed to it sooner than you might think." I flashed him a smile. "Thanks."

He nodded and Jane spoke up. "So where were you two before here?" I frowned. This was still a tender subject, considering everything that had happened there. But I responded nontheless. "Texas."

"Oh?" She continued. "How neat! What made you decide to move here? Did one of your parents get transfered here for a job or something?" That struck a nerve in both Dave and me. Of course she couldn't have known that our parents were dead, but it still hurt to think about them. Over the years, I had created an iron shell, and whenever someone mentioned them, it didn't effect me. But after our grandfather passed away, maybe that shell had cracked, leaving me exposed to being broken again. I exchanged a glance with Dave, who looked just as uncomfortable with this topic as I felt, and replied a bit more quietly than I had intended. "It just...seemed like a nice change of pace."

Jane seemed to understand that the issue should be dropped, because she moved on quickly. "Yes, well there's plenty to do here! There's a big mall, a lake, ice skating rinks, amusement parks, and plenty more to do." She rambled as I finished off the last of my burger and drained more of my drink. Suddenly, Jake's phone buzzed in his pocket, and he slid it out, inspecting the screen, and his face paled a bit. "Jake?" Jane looked at him, worry apparent in her expression.

"I-I have to go, guys." He stuttered. "Something's come up." He stood up without another word, exiting the booth and rushing through the resteraunt towards the door. Jane stood up after him, turning to us quickly. "Sorry, guys. See you in school tomorrow." We both nodded in confusion as she followed suit after Jake, leaving us with many questions. "Well that was..." Dave began, trailing off and watching Jane slip out the door. "Odd." I finished his sentence for him. "Yeah, that." He said, finishing his drink.

I thought for a moment before speaking again. "Is it just me...or was that Jake fellow cute as all fuck?" I asked, playing subconciously with the straw of my drink. Dave swallowed his drink and scoffed. "Bro, please. I really don't need to know about every boy crush that you develope."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not a boy crush. I just think he's a very nice and good looking guy, is all." He raised an eyebrow at me. "Right." He balled up the wrapper for his burger and tossed it onto the tray. "Just wait. I can already tell that you're gonna get a crush on him. It's only a matter of time before you start bringing him home to 'hang out'."

I reached across the table and smacked him on the head. "Shut up, Dave. Now, come on. Let's get home."

* * *

**AN: Hey, guys, I'm back! I'm really super excited about this story. I decided I wanted to write it in a different style than Is That a Challenge? Also, I am planning to make this story longer than my last one. So, I'm probably not going to update all that often, since I'm kind of just writing it in my free time. But hopefully, it'll get updated frequently enough! Well, I hope you enjoy this story, guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

==Kanaya's POV==

White. Lovely, sparkling, fluorescent white in a sheet spread across the ground, the trees and the bushes, the rooves of the lines of cloned houses in my quiet neighborhood. It blanketed everything, turning the world pure, pristine, shining white. I had always loved the snow. I loved the faint lucidity it gave off. I loved the purity, the cleanliness of it. There was nothing not to love. Even the cold. I had never minded the cold. In fact, I felt it refreshing.

My black boots crunched loudly in the snow on the sidewalk, my breath coming out if cloudy puffs. I bundled my black pea coat closer and adjusted the red scarf and brown messenger bag as I began my short stroll to school.

And the stroll was a rare treat. Typically, I would be rushing to school, as I was not the best with getting up. That snooze button was just so tempting. I was so hopeless in fact, that my aunt and cousin had long since stopped trying to wake me up in the mornings. They knew that a simple shake of the shoulder could never rouse me. So I was left to my own devices, and if I ended up waking up late, it was no one's fault but my own. But today, for reasons unknown to me, I had miraculously woken up early, giving me the rare opportunity to enjoy my walk.

So this particular morning, I allowed myself to take in the waking neighborhood around me during my favorite season. Most resented the midwinter weather, but never me. It was really such a lovely time of year, and I always caught myself scanning around, inspecting simple details.

People strolling through the town, nestled in toasty clothing. Christmas decorations beginning to disappear, as it was now January. A woman inspecting her watch as her dog sniffed tentatively at a snow topped bush. A child laughing as he was hoisted into the air and swung steadily back in forth by his parents, one tiny hand in each of theirs. Simplicity. Innocence. Those were the words that came to mind. That was another bullet point added to the long list of what I loved about winter. Nothing seemed to be complicated. There almost seemed to be no hardships in the world, as if the worries of everyone had melted away along with the very first snow.

Well, it was a nice thought at least. Silly, but nice. It was nothing really more than wishful thinking. Of course there were hardships. Of course there was worry. It was there in tiny gestures. Hidden beneath a snow covered roof, or in the dark eyes of a simple passerby was the weight of a dark cloud, looming ever closer. But maybe no one noticed these things because the Christmas spirit covered these tiny things. And maybe it was my inquisitive nature that allowed me to see what those others did not.

I shook my head, clearing my mind. My thoughts had a tendency to wander often, questioning things that didn't matter, or held no real meaning. I caught myself doing this all too often, and I did not like it. It was my personal policy to live in the moment, not in the future. And the thoughts that crossed so frequently through my mind were certainly not, in any sense, living in the moment. Appreciating the intricacies around me was one thing, but thinking about the darkness in happy times was unacceptable.

So I pushed those thoughts aside and noticed, with a tiny huff of disappointment, that the school was in sight. My quaint little morning walk was over.

Within a few minutes, I had reached the building and entered the throng of loud students busying the halls. I located my homeroom class and was greeted immediately by a surprised Karkat Vantas.

"Holy flying fuck tentacles, you're actually on time today. Gamzee must be right about those miracles." He gaped at me.

I just barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him. "Yes. Thank you for noticing, Karkat. I am very grateful for the stating of the obvious." My voice dripped with sarcasm as I sat next to him in my desk, setting my bag on the floor beside me and looking at him. He scoffed. "Shut up. I just mean that it's just unlike you."

I sighed and rested my cheek in the palm of my hand, elbow perched on the desk. "Yes, I know. Somehow, today I managed to keep myself awake only the third time the alarm went off. Perhaps it was the snow." I shrugged nonchalantly.

Karkat gave me a queer look. "The snow."

"Yes, Karkat, the snow. I am not sure why, but it seems that every time it snows, I have more energy. However, it's most likely just my imagination."

At that moment, Gamzee walked in and grinned at us. "Well, well, well. Looks like Kanaya's on motherfucking time today. I'm telling you, my friends. Motherfucking miracles." Karkat only groaned and I chuckled to myself.

Karkat shot a glare at him. "Stop with that miracle bullshit, already. Goddamn, it's all you ever talk about."

Gamzee only grinned wider. "It's not bullshit, best friend. It's the truth." He sat down on the other side of Karkat and slung his bag haphazardly onto the floor. "You've just got to believe in the miracles."

"Miracles aside…" I interrupted Karkat's response. "Aren't you doing that volunteer service at the hospital this weekend, Gamzee?" I asked.

He blinked at me. "Oh, yeah. Kurloz thought that I should up and try out some different fields, since I don't know what I want to do after school. You know, see what I might like to do. He says it's never a bad idea to have a plan and to see what's out there. Anyways, so I said, well the medical field sounds motherfucking awesome. So many miracles up and going on there, you know? So I thought: why not get in on that shit myself? Motherfucking help some people, right?" He grinned from ear to ear.

I smiled. "Why, that's very sweet of you to want to help people, Gamzee."

He chuckled. "Kurloz thinks so, too. What about you? Any idea of what you want to do after school?"

I paused to contemplate this for a moment. "I…I haven't really put much thought into it, actually. We are only sophomores, after all. We still have two more years to think about these things."

Gamzee accepted the response with a curt nod. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just want to have a motherfucking plan. That way I have an idea now instead of being all clueless and shit then."

"Yes, I suppose." I gave a small shrug. "However, everyone has their own way of seeing things."

Once again his smile widened, and I found myself wondering if his cheeks ever hurt. "That's the motherfucking truth, sister!" He turned to Karkat. "So, any ideas of what you want to do, best friend?"

He shook his head. "No. I haven't found anything I really want to do."

I nudged him playfully. "You could always be the director of a romantic comedy. Heaven knows you've seen enough of them."

"Hey fuck you!" He swatted at my arm, but a smile lit his features nonetheless.

The sudden chiming of the bell stole my train of thought along with my next response, and we all grabbed our stuff before heading to our first classes. Mine was French, and we would be having a test today. I silently sighed in relief when I remembered that I had studied for a while the night before.

I made it to class quickly, -homeroom was my only typical tardiness issue- and sat in my seat. Gamzee entered the class a moment later. He must have stopped by the vending machine because now he had a soda in his hand. He slid into his seat and dumped his bag at me, and we exchanged conversation until the teacher, Mr. Shay came into the room and passed out the tests.

The class went by more quickly than I'd expected it to, and I had studied for everything on the test. Soon I found myself leaving the classroom and then sitting through History. And before I knew it, it was third period: Gym.

I headed into the girls' locker room and dropped my bag onto one of the benches.

"Hello, Kanaya!" A bouncy girl bounded up to me. She hardly reached my chest standing up, due to her petite body. She blinked big, olive green eyes at me, adding a cute look to her cat-like grin. Her sandy blonde hair was a bit messy, -reminding me a bit of a lion's mane- down to her shoulders with light upward curls at the tips.

"Hello, Nepeta." I responded with a smile, picking through my bag until I located a pair of blue shorts and a grey shirt.

"What's up?" She asked cheerfully, smoothing out her own matching grey shirt. It looked big on her, hiding the top half of her shorts.

"Not much at the moment." I replied, slipping my shirt up over my head and replacing it with the grey one. "But I have been enjoying the weather. It's put me in quite a good mood lately." I shrugged, switching my red jeans with the shorts and stuffing my clothes into my bag.

"But it's been so cold!" She exclaimed, making a show of rubbing her hands on her arms to suggest warming herself. "Haven't you been cold?"

"Well…yes." I glanced at her, zipping up the bag. "But I've never minded it. I think it feels nice."

She nodded. "Oh, okay. Well, we should get out there." She tugged at my arm, pulling me after her as she walked. I laughed lightly. "Alright, I'm coming."

We left the locker room, entering the large gym already crowded with people walking the perimeter of the space. Equius Zahhak, an extraordinarily tall, masculine boy with dark skin and long black hair looked over. "Equius!" Nepeta squeaked happily, giggling and running over to pounce on him. He stumbled backwards slightly, taken by surprise, but a gentle smile played on his lips.

"Nepeta," He goaded. "You shouldn't pounce on people like that." Nepeta giggled. "Oh shoosh. It's not hurting anyone, is it?"

"Well, no. But-" Nepeta cut him by standing on the tips of her toes and pressing a finger to his lips. "Then SHOOSH." She grinned up at him.

He gently swatted her hand away and sighed. "Fine."

I smiled at the scene. They really would make a cute couple, especially considering that Nepeta had confided in her the fact that she had a crush on Equius. I wondered if Equius liked her back. They had been best friends ever since Kanaya had known them, which had been about sixth grade, and probably had been best friends even before then. I began walking laps around the gym with the rest of the class, thinking about this. Equius looked intimidating, but he was actually a very sweet and shy person, and a good friend. He really would be perfect for Nepeta.

My thoughts on the matter ceased as I noticed a boy I had never seen before walking on his own. He had bleach blonde hair framing an unusually pale face with aviators resting on his nose. I didn't think it was right for him to be walking alone, so I quickened my pace a bit, not sure exactly what to say, but determined to provide him with some company. He turned his head toward me as I caught up to him. "Hello." I offered with a smile.

He nodded his head in a sort of greeting. "Sup?"

"I am Kanaya Maryam. And you?" I asked, matching my pace to his.

"Dave Strider." He replied.

"It's nice to meet you, Dave."

"Nice to meet you, too, Kanaya."

"So I would venture to guess that you are a new student here?" I asked, eyeing the shades curiously for a moment, but then looking ahead of me, not really wanting to ask.

"You guess right. I just transferred here with my bro."

"Your bro? Does he attend this school, too?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He's a senior. What about you? Any siblings?"

I shook my head. "No. I live with my aunt and cousin."

"Oh. Did you move here from somewhere, or…?"

Another shake of my head. "I've lived with them since I was little. My parents passed away in a car crash before I could remember them, so my aunt is practically my mother, and Porrim, my cousin, is like a sister to me." And it was true. Even though I called her Aunt Dolores, she really was more of a mother to me. Maybe it was because I was so used to her, or maybe it was because of her motherly nature, or maybe I just loved her as a mother. No matter the reason, she was a very good person, and I couldn't imagine living with anyone else. And though Porrim and I had very few bickers as siblings typically had, I was very close with her, and loved her dearly.

He gave me a quick nod, and I caught a hint of expression in the slight raising of his eyebrows. But whether it was an expression of sympathy or empathy was unclear. Either way, it was probably about time for a change of subject.

"Have you made many friends so far today?" It was the best I could think of at the moment, but it did seem to be appreciated.

He shrugged and adjusted his shades. "A few. Some goofy kid named John Egbert, and a really grumpy guy named Karkat." He gestured to his ears with a grimace. "I'm still trying to get my hearing back. I mean, damn that kid yells a lot."

I chuckled at him. "Oh, you get used to Karkat." He looked at me. "Hm. I sure hope so."

"Don't worry. You will." I said, and added, "And John is very nice."

"Yeah he is, if a bit obsessed with bad movies. I mean, Ghost Busters is pretty cool, but Con Air is just awful."

I laughed softly. "Really? I was fond of Con Air when I saw it. But I haven't seen Ghost Busters in years."

"Me neither." He paused. "You know, I kind of want to watch it, now."

I nodded in agreement. "Yes. I do, too."

He snorted. "What do you know? We've been talking about him for less than a minute and he's already infected us. Damn it, Egbert."

* * *

As I entered my room, I hung my bag on the hook attached to my closet door and shrugged off my coat, hanging it on the hook under the bag's. Next, I straightened out my hair, mussed by the wind, in the mirror and made my way into the kitchen for a snack.

Unsurprisingly, Aunt Dolores was already working on a snack by the time I reached the kitchen. She glanced up at me with a smile as she sliced up a red apple. "Hello, Kanaya. How was school?"

I leaned against one of the counters with a small sigh. "You don't have to go to the trouble of making snacks for us every day, you know. Though I do appreciate the gesture, I am entirely capable of carving an apple."

She hummed a small laugh, finishing the cutting and setting the knife in the sink with a clank. "I know you are, dear, but it's really no trouble at all. I enjoy taking care of you and Porrim. Besides," She added, placing one of two small plates with apple slices and a tiny bowl of peanut butter in the center on the counter beside me. "Cooking is so fun!"

"You really were born to be a mother, Aunt Dolores." I picked up the plate and dipped an apple slice into the peanut butter. "That reminds me. Is Porrim feeling any better?" Porrim had had a fever the night before and decided against school today in favor of sleeping through the morning and getting some rest.

Aunt Dolores nodded. "Yes. Her fever has gone down quite a bit since this morning. I'm guessing it's just a cold." She picked up the other plate. "Now, I'm going to go take her a snack. She's been sleeping all day, the poor dear, and I'm sure she's hungry by now."

"Alright." I replied, nibbling on the soft apple slice as she left the room. It took me only a few minutes to finish my apple and rinse the plate off in the sink, and soon I was back in my room. I plopped into the swivel chair in front of my computer and pressed the power button. I entered my password, which was actually just 'password.' It was simple and easy to remember, so maybe no one would think to even try it. Besides, even if someone did guess it, I had nothing to hide on my computer anyways.

Trollian popped up automatically as the computer came to life, and I signed in as grimAuxiliatrix. Trollian was really just a part of Pesterchum, but I liked the look of the scarlet box of Trollian over the mustard yellow of Pesterchum.

I did as I usually did: get on and check for any online friends. Karkat was online as carcinoGenetisist, Sollux Captor as twinArmageddons, and below everyone was my newest chum. I had been speaking with her ever since I had tried out the 'random encounter' option, and it automatically paired me with tentacleTherapist. Of course I thought this was a strange Chumhandle, but then, I was not typically one to judge, being strange myself.

Then another thought occurred to me regarding her username. Throughout the numerous conversations we'd had over the past week or so, it had completely slipped my mind to ask her for her real name. Maybe I would bring that up in today's series of messages. I double clicked her Chumhandle to open up a new window, and began a new conversation.

GA: Hello TT.

TT: Hello, GA.

GA: How Are You Today?

TT: Tired. And you?

GA: I Am Fine Thank You.

GA: Also I Noticed Something.

TT: Go on.

GA: We Have Been Having Steady Conversations For About A Week Now.

GA: And Yet We Still Do Not Know Each Others' Names.

TT: This is true.

TT: Shall I begin with mine?

GA: Please Do.

TT: Okay, my name is Rose Lalonde. And yours?

Rose. I had always been fond of that name. It was lovely, and though I had never met her in person, I think it suited her personally. It was a beautiful, refined, and intelligent name.

GA: I Am Kanaya Maryam.

TT: That's a very unique name. I can't say I have ever heard it before.

GA: Thank You. Your Name Is Very Unique As Well. I Have Never Heard The Name Lalonde Before Either.

TT: Well, Kanaya, it's very nice to officially meet you.

GA: And You As Well Rose.

The rest of our conversation flew by as it normally did a blur of intellectual replies and a few sarcastic comments. And eventually, she had to go offline, leaving me scrolling through the internet for a while. But soon that grew tiring and I logged my computer off.

With nothing else that seemed worth doing, sleep seemed to be the best option. So I left my room and said goodnight to Aunt Dolores and Porrim, wishing her a quick "Get well soon," as I left her room, clicking the door shut quietly behind me. I then returned to my room and slipped out of my clothes, replacing them with a long red nightgown, switching off the lights and sliding under the cool covers. I was sound asleep before I could realize that once again, I forgot to set my alarm clock.

* * *

**AN: Hello wonderful people! So I realized that I forgot to say a few things about this story. Though it follows the seven main characters, there will be a few filler chapters to pass time following other characters as well. (as if seven wasn't already enough OTL) I'll let those minor ships remain a surprise, since I don't want to give anything away! And finally, once I've gotten past the seven characters, the prologue will be done, and the real story can begin. Hope you guys are looking forward to it!**


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